Broward Gasoline Wars Reach Detente

Jerry Keeley gets his gasoline at a Tenneco station in Davie, attracted by the 79-cent price for unleaded and the fact that it`s close to his Cooper City home.

``I come here for the price, but I think a lot of people are impulse buyers. I wouldn`t drive a half-hour out of my way for gas. Ten cents a gallon doesn`t make that much difference,`` he said.

As the price of gasoline slides to its lowest levels since the late 1970s, there appear to be only a few, localized outbreaks of ``gas wars`` that once marked the highly competitive industry.

An informal check around Broward County revealed many stations with prices in the middle 80 cents for regular gasoline, with less expensive outlets often clustered on the same block.

The best bargains were available at service stations participating in contests conducted by two radio stations offering prizes to those with the lowest gasoline prices.

Part of the reason for the few gas wars appears to be that most motorists aren`t desperate for a bargain: A 20-cent drop in gasoline prices translates to just $2 on a 10-gallon fill-up in a compact car.

Kirk Annunziato of Miami Lakes, for example, said he passed up the chance to buy gasoline for 52 cents a gallon at a Hollywood service station taking part in the radio promotional contests.

The 25-car wait, he said, was not worth it when he could still buy relatively inexpensive gasoline at the Tenneco station on University Drive, which has 18 pumps and no long lines.

One dealer who did find himself in a gas war of sorts was Buddy Rogero, who operates a Chevron station at University Drive and Taft Street in Pembroke Pines.

He dropped the price of regular gasoline from 85 cents a gallon to 73 cents for one day, hoping his station would cash in on publicity generated by the radio promotions.

Rogero said he was starting to feel the squeeze as downward pressure on his pump prices cut into his profit margin.

``This is the worst I`ve ever seen it. It`s great for the consumer. We`re at their mercy,`` he said. ``As far as making a profit goes, this is the worst it`s been.``

But Ray Conrad, who owns two Amoco stations in Broward, echoed the sentiments of others.

``Let`s not try to create a gas war. The dealers are the only ones who will lose. I won`t sell below my costs,`` he said. ``We`re not getting rich. We`re just trying to keep (gas prices) level.``

The latest survey by the American Automobile Association, released March 18, showed gasoline prices had plunged 13 cents a gallon from just 30 days before.

The average self-service price for regular gasoline in Pompano Beach was 92.9 cents a gallon and unleaded was 97.9 cents. In Lauderhill, the price of regular was 95 cents a gallon and unleaded was 99 cents.

Those who stand to save the most from the plunging fuel prices are volume users such as businesses and government agencies.

Joel Volinski, director of the county`s Mass Transit Division, said a sustained drop in fuel prices could give the bus system some breathing room in what had been an extremely tight budget this year.

``It`s conceivable it could be $200,000 to $300,000 a year. Of course, we don`t know at this time how long it`s going to last,`` Volinski said.